Stripper fingers for flat work ironers



y 5- c. E. HAMHLTON, SR 2,008,499

INVENTOR Chile's idu/zzzfikwzzfwz 52' ATTORNEY July 116, 1935 C. E. HAMILTON, SR

STRIPPER FINGERS FOR FLAT woRk IRONERS Filed March 28, 1931 3 Sheets-$heet 2 ATORNEY y 1935. c. E. HAMILTON, SR 2,003,499

STRIPPER FINGERS FOR FLAT WORK IRONERS Filed March 28, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented July 16, 1935 STRIPPER FINGERS FOR FLAT WORK IRONERS Charles Edwin'Hamilton, Sr., Hollywood, calm, a ssignor to Edwin Lane, Percy Mendelson, and

Charles Mendelson, all of New York, N. Y.

Application March 28, 1931, Serial No. 525,896

8 Claims.

- The invention relates to laundry and dry cleaner machinery, more especially to the socalled flat work ironers of either the chest or cylinder type.

In accordance with the usual practice in the operation of these ironers, a plurality of clothcovered rolls are journaled for rotation above a steam-heated drum or a chest, and the articles to be ironed are caused to be passed onward from one roll to the nextby the use of a series of endless strings or tapes disposed. transversely of the rolls.

In prior U. S. Patents Nos. 1,186,640 and 1,740,980 flexible stripper fingers are disclosed as associated with the rolls for' stripping the work therefrom, in lieu of the strings or tapes heretofore utilized. Particularly in U. S. Patent #1340980, I have disclosed flexible guard means bearing upon the feed side of a roll for preventing its lapped cover cloth from dropping down or backwardly;.and in a copending application Serial No. 374,477, whichissued July 19, 1932, as Patent No. 1,867,741 on which Reissue Patent #19304 was granted November 21, 1933, I have disclosed guide toes to engage with the work and prevent the same from rising beyond a predetermined height and serving as well to assist in carrying the work toward the next succeeding roll.

The present invention has for its object the provision of a novel and simple form of stripper member, andto consolidate in a single element the various features of stripping and guiding and guiding and guarding disclosed in the aforesaid patents and application for patent. r

A further object resides in the arrangement of a break-away portion in connection with the stripper member. 1

Another objectof thein'vention is to provide a more efiicient stripper finger and one which will readily fold or bend over when encountering an abnormal obstruction and thus avoid becoming enmeshed with work passing through the ironing machine; The design of this finger is such, also, that it will immediately return to its active position when released. I r

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a novel mounting elementfor the stripper member whereby the same may be readily applied and adjusted to the proper position with respect to the roll surface, and as readily removed when replacement is required.

' Theinvention has for a still further object the provisionof means forsupporting the stripper mounting element in a manner such that the said element with attached stripper member may be swung above the ironing rolls for inspection and adjustment; and, also, in the provision of means for adjusting the said mounting element both vertically and angularly with reference to the rolls.

In the accompanying drawings. which illustrate the invention,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary transverse section through a succession of ironing rolls and associated steam chests, and illustrates the application of the stripper members thereto and the mounting ofthe same upon the ironing machine. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan of one end of the ironing machine equipped with the novel stripper members. r 15 Fig. 3 isan enlarged transverse section taken on the line 3-3, Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 44, Fig. 3 of the, drawingsr 20 Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the novel stripper member. 1 i

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a combined stripper member and guide member which may be utilized in the ironing machine.

Fig. '7 is aperspective View illustrating a combined guide and guard member which may be utilized in the ironing machine.

Referring to the drawings, more particularly Figs. 1 and 2 thereof, l0 designates one of a plurality of rotatable ironing rolls such as are utilized in an ironing machine, for example, of the chest type, a said roll being journaled for rotation above a steam-heated chest II and thesurface of which immediately beneath the roll is generally concave to secure greater ironing contact.

A cover cloth [2, usually hair padding, wool padding, or matted padding, is frictionally held thereon in overlapping relationship to insure retention of the cover on the roll surface.

Provision is made for mounting suitable stripper elements l5, more particularly illustrated in Fig; 5 of the drawings, to bear upon the delivery side of a roll to strip from the surface. thereof work immediately as it emerges from between a roll and chest. In accordance with the invention, a stripper member embodies a vertically disposed strip l6 of spring steel to which is hinged approximately mid-way of its length a 50 further strip of spring steel H. .The latter has its lower end portion extending downwardly beyond the end of strip 16 and is bent also at an angle thereto to constitute the stripper element or finger l5 which is designed to engage the 55 The material of the member H is of much lighter gauge than that of the strip [6 so that it will readily yield with respect to the said strip,

the same acting as an abutment for said strip of material H. The material of the latter strip ll is sufiiciently light, also, to permit of its bending upwardly under jamming conditions, for example, as indicated in the dotted line position, Fig. 1; and provision is made, furthermore, for permitting also the strip [6 to swing outwardly, as is further indicated by the dotted line position, about a pivotal point at the top of the machine. i

To this end, the upper portion of strip I6 is provided with the semi-circular bend l8 and straight-away top portion is and returned tongue 2i; directed downwardly and inwardly toward the strip It This'upper triangular end of the strip it thus formed is designed to be fitted over a suitable hollow holding bar 25 also of triangular shape, the top contacting with the top or one side of the triangular holding bar, while the tongue 26 contacts with itsv base and is arranged to be firmly held therein. For example, itmay fit into a plurality of openings 28 formed in the base by slitting the same and pressing outwardly the slitted portion 21. By this means, the tongue may be readily inserted and substantially locked in-position and also withdrawn when it is necessary to replace a stripper member, the stripper member as a whole hinging about the retained tongue portion to accommodate the outward motion'of strip l6 when the end l5 meets with an obstruction. As soon as an obstruction clears, however, the elementl'l with its end l5 will be returned to normal position under its own resiliency and the resiliency of the strip IE to which the strip portion I! is pivoted.

It is desirable to so mount the holding bars 25, which are disposed longitudinally of the rolls above the same and on the delivery side, that the entire stripper mechanism may be swung upwardly into position for examination and replacement, if necessary, of the stripper members.

This may conveniently be effected by carrying a holding bar 25 upon a pair of arms 30 extending along opposite sides of the ironing machine, the one end of an arm 30 being pivoted as at 3! to a suitable supporting bracket 32 which is adjustably secured to an upstanding stud 33. Brackettz is provided also with an upstanding lip 34, and the bar with a pivoted catch 35 to cooperate with the upper edge of lip 34 when said bar is swung upwardly and tilted slightly backwardly, as indicated'in the dotted line position, Fig. 1. This will serve to hold an arm 30 securely in position while changes are being made to the stripper members carried by the holding bar.

The latter is arranged to be journaled in the outer ends of a pair of arms 35; and the said bar at its far end carries also an adjustable screw 31 to bear at its lower end 38 against the top of the next succeeding stud 33for limiting the eX- 'tent of downward movement of the arm 30 and to adjust thereby its vertical position and that of the bar 25 with reference to a roll in.

It is further desirable that holding bar 25 itself be adjustable angularly, that is to say, about its journals, and to this end there is attached to the ends of the said bar a supplementary or secondary arm 40 movable therewith and having its outer end swivelled to the lower end 4| of a screw 42 which is adjustably mounted in a bracket 43 attached to arm 30. By this expedient, the holding bar 25 maybe rocked more or less to provide the desired adjustment angularly in setting the stripping element end I5 with reference to the roll surface upon which it is to bear.

It is desirable, also, to mount on this holding vbar '25 and between stripping elements a guide member, for example, of the nature set forth in Fig. 6. This guide member, similarly to the construction of the stripper member, is provided with a bend 45, straight-away top portion 46 and tongue 41 for mounting the guide member on the holding bar. At its lower end it is curved outwardly to afford an arcuate extension 48 which may be reinforced by returning the strip ..composing the guide member to the upright portion 49 and riveting the same thereto as at 50. Portion 49 may have attached thereto, also, a stripping element5 I, so that a combined stripping and guide member may be had which is to be mounted at suitable intervals along a holding bar 25 therefor. i

Or, if desired, there may be attached alsoito this guide member, reference being had to Fig.

'7 of the drawings, an arcuate guard piece 52 for bearing upon the feed side of the succeedingroll. Thus, a'very satisfactory and simple combined guide and guard member is provided which, similarly to the stripper member, may readily be mounted upon the holding bar and is readily removed in case replacement be required.

I claim:

1. A resilient narrow strippermember for use in a flat work ironer including ironing rolls, comprising a strip of spring metal bent over at its upper end to be removably secured to a support of the ironer, and a further strip of spring metal secured at its upper end to an intermediate portion of the first-named strip, being backed for a portion of its length by the lower portion of-said first-named strip and having its free end directed downwardly and away from the lower end of said first-named strip to bear along its front edge on a roll.

2. A resilient narrow stripper member for use in a flat work ironer including ironing rolls, comprising a strip of spring metal adapted forattachment at its upper end to the ironer, and a, further strip of spring metal of greater resiliency than the first-named strip and secured at its upper end to an intermediate portion of said firstnamed strip; being backed for a portion of its length by the lower portion of said first-named strip and having its free end directed downwardly tached to the upright portion, and a stripper finger secured at its upper end to an intermediate point of the upright portion andextending outwardly from the upright portion of the strip of spring metal in a direction opposite to the forwardly bent portion to form a substantially continuous surfacetherewith.

4. A combined arcuate guide and arcuate guard member for use in a flat work ironer including a succession of ironing rolls with lapped cover cloth, comprising a strip of resilient spring metal having an upright portion adapted for attachment at its upper end to the ironer, the lower end being bent forwardly, then upwardly and backwardly and attached to the upright portion, and an arcuate guard member secured at its lower end to the upwardly bent portion of the strip to em brace the feed side of a roll.

5. In a flat work ironer including a frame, ironing rolls mounted therein and stripper members associated with the rolls for stripping work therefrom: a holding bar for the said stripper members, a pair of arms pivotally connected to the frame at opposite ends of a roll and extending transversely to the axis thereof, means at the free ends of the arms to journal'the opposite ends of said bar therein, a secondary arm secured to the bar, and an adjustable screw carried by one of the pivoted arms and swivelled to the free end of the secondary arm whereby the same may be rocked to displace angularly the said bar.

6. In a fiat work ironer including a frame and ironing rolls rotatably mounted therein: stripper members adapted to bear upon the surface of a roll, and means to mount the stripper members comprising a holding bar extending longitudinally above said roll, a pair of substantially horizontally disposed arms pivotally connected to the frame at the opposite ends of said roll and extending transversely to the axis thereof, means at the free ends of the arms to journal the opposite ends of said bar therein, an upstanding stud 6n the frame, an adjustable screw at the free end of one of the arms cooperating with the stud to limit downward movement thereof, a secondary arm secured to the bar, and a second adjustable screw carried by the said'screw-bearing arm and swivelled to the free end of the secondary arm whereby the same may be rocked to displace angularly the said bar.

7. A member for stripping material from a roll, comprising a strip of spring metal adapted for attachment at its upper end to a support, and a further strip of spring metal secured at its upper end to an intermediate portion of the firstnamed strip, being backedfor a portion of its length by the lower portion of said'first-named strip and having its free end directed downwardly and away from the lower end of said firstnamed strip to bear along its front edge upon the surface of the roll.

8. In a flat work ironer including a frame, a steam chest mounted thereon, and a plurality of laterally disposed, clothed ironing rolls rotatably mounted in the frame above the steam chest, a plurality of resilient stripper members associated with the surface of a roll to strip goods therefrom, each member having an arcuate guide portion projecting on the delivery side of said roll substantially parallel and close to the surface of the associated steam chest and substantially across the entire space between said roll and the next roll, said arcuate guide portion aifording a continuous unbroken surface with the stripper portion, whereby the goods are prevented from rising unduly and are directed to the nip of the next succeeding roll.

CHARLES EDWIN HAMILTON, SR. 

